Friend or Foe
by Lily Hanson
Summary: Heckyl's been manipulating Kendall for some time. How long can he keep it up?
1. Old Aquaintances

_Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers Dino Charge. This story is fan-made._

Riley's first official shift back to work wasn't going his way. There was nothing really getting in the way of him doing a good job, but his duties weren't coming back as naturally as he had liked. Perhaps, being on the farm and away from the city for so long had clouded his memories of what being a waiter was actually like. He had imagined it being easier than cleaning out pig pens; he forgot humans were pigs as well.

"Hey, brainiac!" a voice called, almost teasing him in more ways than one. Riley felt a sense of familiarity from this voice and just knew more trouble was on the way, as if his day wasn't hard enough. Also, the voice was literally mocking him, as he turned to the source and saw an old classmate of his sitting in one of his booths. He sighed as he made his way over. He knew if he ignored him, he would simply continue to call for him and mock him.

"Might as well get this over with," he said and pulled out his pad and pen from his apron. "Burt, how can I help you?"

"You're working here?" Burt asked, teasing Riley as he turned to his two other friends and started to laugh. "What's wrong, couldn't hack it as a farm boy? Had to demote yourself to a lowly waiter?"

Riley rolled his eyes. It wouldn't have mattered if he were a waiter, the manager, or the owner of the museum. Burt would, and always had, teased him for everything he did. Brainiac was just one of the names he had called Riley growing up.

Both were from a farming community north of Amber Beach. It was a small town with just one school. As such, Riley had been in the same class as Burt and his friends since kindergarten. Riley had no idea what he had done to prompt the teasing, but almost from the very first day, Burt had singled him out. It was only Riley's desire to leaving the farming town one day that kept him from caring too much what Burt said, and the green Ranger had managed to annoying the taunts through all the years.

Though that didn't mean he wasn't still annoyed by Burt, and wished the bigger kid would stop picking on him for once. It was never a good feeling, seeing Burt in the classroom and knowing he would be subject once more to a day of name-calling.

"Are you here to order something or are you just wasting everyone's time?" Riley asked. Burt chuckled.

"Neither, actually," he said. "I'm here to compete in the Amber Beach Marathon this weekend."

"A marathon?"

"Don't look so excited," Burt said. "Marathons are for athletes. Winners, in other words. And you're... neither of those."

Riley wanted to argue that before coming to Amber Beach, he had been interested in fencing, and practiced every day in his family's barn. And since coming to Amber Beach, he trained every day as a Ranger, improving his strength and stamina. He was more of an athlete than anyone else at the table. But he knew arguing with Burt was futile, so he let it go.

Hough no completely, "I could run a marathon."

"Anyone could run a marathon," Burt chuckled. "But could you do it without embarrassing yourself? You do know the crowd isn't going to wait three days just to see _you_ cross the finish line."

Riley clenched his pen and pad tightly. He had never been the fastest runner in town, or even the strongest, but he had been far from last place. Riley was always usually around average in gym class, and especially successful in sports that required more agility, patience and discipline than strength.

And now that he was a Ranger, he was sure he could beat Burt in any sport they competed in. Especially a marathon. He thought of the energem, tucked safely around his neck, and the boost in power it would provide him if he called on it.

"You really think you're better than me at everything?"

"I'll prove it," Burt nodded and set his arm on the table, challenging Riley to an arm wrestling match. Riley set his pad and pencil down and took up the challenge. On go, Burt pushed against his hand. Riley could feel some strain, but it was nothing that threatened him. Riley was barely putting any energy to the competition and wanted Burt to struggle first before he was beaten. Just when Riley thought it was time to summon power from his energem, the call of his name interrupted him. Burt was still focused and managed to slam Riley's hand down on the table and the green Ranger's attention shifted to Kendall.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?" she snapped at him. "I pay you to take orders, not mess around with your friends."

"But Ms. Morgan..."

"Back to work!" Kendall ordered and Riley sighed. He picked up his pen and pad and made his way over to a new table.

"Bye, _Wiley_ ," Burt teased him as he and his friends got up to leave. "See you later, loser!"

Riley clenched his jaw. Burt had really managed to get under his skin this time.

-Dino-Charge-

After disciplining Riley, Kendall made her way down to her lab. She didn't want to handle the museum or its staff again today and left them to look after themselves. She had to take care of her lab, and ensure that while she had been gone, nothing went missing.

She took everything important with her home. The energems stayed with their Rangers and Kendall took care to keep the chargers, her computer and her books close to her. If there was a break in, she didn't want the aliens getting anything important. She didn't want them to use her own technology and weapons against her.

She walked around the lab, doing a quick check. Seeing everything was as she left it, she placed her energem in the crystal bed and walked to her work station. She set her laptop down on her desk and quickly programmed it to analyze the lab. She wanted to know where she could increase security to ensure that no monsters would have access to the lab.

As her computer ran a scan, Kendall sat down in her chair and rubbed her face in her hands. She had gotten no sleep, too worked up by the events of the night before to even think about closing her eyes.

Someone had come after her while she closed up the museum. They had tried to grab her right outside the museum and drag her off. Kendall tried fighting, but found herself powerless against them. She couldn't remember how she eventually managed to slip away, but the time before that had been terrifying. She thought, for sure, the person who grabbed her would take advantage of her; that he would hurt her.

She shook her head and wiped the tears from her eyes, before anyone came down and saw them. She didn't want to talk about what had happened. She didn't want the others to know. She was a Power Ranger. The common, human scumbag should have been no problem for her. The moment he grabbed her should have been his biggest mistake, and yet it had almost been the end for her. How could she be expected to lead the Rangers, to support them against the monsters and keep up their hopes that they could once again defeat the aliens when she couldn't even protect herself against a human?

But there was one person she could talk to. Heckyl didn't know she was a Ranger, or that she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders. He didn't know she was looked to by her friends to stop aliens in their path. To Heckyl, she was just Kendall, just a woman. He wouldn't think any less of her for almost getting caught by a predator. If anything, he might think she was brave for being able to escape. She reached for her phone and was just about to dial his number, hoping wherever he was, he would pick up when the elevator doors opened and Chase stepped out. Kendall jumped in her seat, startled by his appearance.

"Chase..."

"I'm just about to punch in," he said. "I thought I'd see how you were doing after last night, first?"

"Last... Last night?" Kendall stammered. Did he know what happened last night? How could he have? Riley and Ivan had taken him home before the incident and she hadn't told anyone about it. Not even Koda.

"With that... monster," Chase nodded. "You took some hard hits."

The monster! Kendall remembered now that attack hadn't been her first. The monster in the park had given her and Chase a pretty good beating. She nodded her head and looked to the black Ranger with a little worry.

"I'm fine, Chase. But you should rest. You took the worst of it."

"I'm fine too," Chase assured her. "I'll probably be taking it easy at work, though."

"If you're sure," Kendall nodded. Chase gave a little frown, seeing the purple Ranger wasn't herself.

"Kendall... is everything okay?" he asked as he walked over to her. "Are you thinking about last night?"

"Last night?" she questioned again, worried he knew more than he was letting on.

"The kiss," he said. "You didn't think I'd forget that, did you? The kiss... meant something, right?"

Kendall bit her lip and nodded her head. She had forgotten all about the kiss. She looked to Chase a little guiltily.

"Sorry, I just..."

"You're focused, I get it," he said. "With the attack and the base being compromised, you have other things to think about. If you need more time, that's cool."

He started to turn away and Kendall felt her guilt grow. She jumped out of her seat, shaking her head.

"I meant it. I want us to give this a shot."

Chase turned around, excitement lighting up his face, "Really?"

"Slow, though," she said. "This is all still... new to me."

"Yeah, sure," Chase nodded. "We'll take it slow. Have you thought of a date yet? When are you free?"

"I... I'm not sure," Kendall shrugged her shoulders. "Can we figure that out later?"

"Sure," Chase smiled. "I'll just be upstairs then, whenever you're ready."

Chase turned to leave, making his way back upstairs with a huge grin on his face. When he joined Tyler in the kitchen, the red Ranger couldn't help but notice his friend's upbeat attitude despite the bruises.

"Someone's looking better," he said. Chase nodded his head.

"It worked!" Chase smiled. "Last night worked!"

"It... what?"

"I mean, it was a complete accident," Chase said. "But... she kissed me! Kendall's going to give me a shot! She likes me, mate! She really likes me."

"That's great," Tyler smiled but quickly turned his gaze away. "Good for you..."

"Yeah, maybe we can double date again sometime," Chase suggested, oblivious to Tyler's change in tone. "Me and Kendall, you and..."

"She ran."

"Huh?"

"Shelby," Tyler said, setting down the spatula. "I thought you were right and decided to give it a shot. I was just about to ask her when she just... left."

"Did she say anything?"

Tyler shook his head. "Nothing."

Chase frowned deeply, then started to smile, "Aw, mate, you're just pulling my leg..."

"I'm serious, Chase. She took off and... We haven't been able to even look at each other since. Are you _sure_ she likes me."

"Yeah," Chase nodded. "Mate, that's weird. Want me to..."

"Don't," Tyler shook his head and grabbed Chase's arm before he could leave the kitchen. "Don't mention a thing about this, especially to her. Things are already awkward enough and... I'd rather not miss out on my chance of being with her and lose her as my friend in a little over a day."

"Understandable," Chase answered. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Yeah, help me fill these orders in, will you?" Tyler asked.


	2. The Marathon

During his lunch, Riley decided to head out to get in some training. He had promised Kendall that he would work the overtime on regular pay in order to make up for the time he missed. She had been reluctant to let him go but he really needed the chance to clear his head. His meeting with Burt had thrown him off his game on an already rough day.

Riley never considered himself to be a victim of bullying, though by definition, he probable was. He was never really friends with Burt and didn't have too many people in his class who he wanted to hang out with. He had a different mindset from the rest of his farming town, and so from a young age had learned that he was different. That singled him out already and gave his classmates the chance to pick on him. No one really took advantage but Burt.

However, Burt was a rather weak bully. He teased Riley mainly for his intelligence – a trait Riley was somewhat proud to possess. Therefore, Burt never really hurt Riley, but was more of an annoyance than anything. Riley was glad to leave him behind when the green energem led him to Amber Beach.

But with Burt in town for the marathon, Riley felt like he was being picked on enough to make up for lost time. Furthermore, Burt was attacking his physical abilities, thinking that because he was smart, there was no way he could excel in sports. Riley had never been physically weak, though he had never been strong. Still, since bonding to the energem, he had more powers and abilities than the normal man.

Perhaps it wasn't Burt who was getting under his skin, but more the knowledge that he wasn't what Burt thought he was, without the ability to prove it. In other words, Riley wasn't allowed to prove him wrong. He couldn't wipe the stupid smirk off Burt's face, and that frustrated him to no end.

He made it to the local school's field, where everyone in the community was allowed to work out. Riley liked coming here because often, it was peaceful and there wasn't anyone else there. However, almost as soon as Riley arrived, Burt was behind him, with his two _lackeys_ in tow.

"Well, well, well," Burt teased, sitting right next to Riley on the bench as the green Ranger finished tying up his shoes. "Looks like the Brainiac's getting ready for his first work out."

"Whatever, Burt," Riley said and tried to ignore the bigger man.

"You know, there's no shame in taking it easy," Burt suggested. "If you feel a brisk walk is getting to be too much for you..."

"I can look after myself."

"If you're sure," Burt said in a teasing tone. Riley couldn't take it anymore and decided he would, for once, shut the bully up.

"See that wall," he said, pointed to the climbing wall the school had recently installed. "First one over it wins."

"You're on," Burt agreed and as Riley expected he jumped up to get a cheater's head start. Riley watched him go, shaking his head playfully as he reached into his shirt and took out his energem. With it, he couldn't lose.

He held the energem tight in his hand and could feel the added power coursing through him. Within seconds, maybe less, he had caught up to Burt then passed him. Strength built up in his legs, allowing him to jump up with added power. He threw himself over the wall without touching in. However, he lost control in the air. He had too much power and when he jumped, he flew straight into a tree. He landed there, stuck for a moment while Burt, oblivious to the whole thing, hopped down from the top of the wall and proclaimed himself the winner. Upon doing so, he and his friends ran off. Likely, they were done with teasing Riley and were going to move onto something out. Riley let himself slip out of the tree at that point and lay in the grass, looking up at the sky.

"There's got to be a way to beat him," he said to himself and looked to his energem, wondering how it had failed him. He was supposed to be faster and stronger. He beat up monsters for a living now. On a regular basis he not only outsmarted them, but overpowered them. Of course, it was with the help of him team, but he had gotten stronger on his own. He needed a way to prove it.

A smirk appeared on his lips as he was reminded of the reason this whole mess had started in the first place. The Amber Beach marathon. Burt was going to compete, and Riley was determined to beat him.

-Dino-Charge-

Cammy slid down the slide, landing in Kendall's lab gracefully. It had taken her a while to master that entrance, and she had fallen on her butt quite a bit after underestimating her speed, but finally, she had it nailed. She dropped her bag on the floor and made her way to the table, taking a seat. When Kendall was consumed with her work, it was hard to pull her out. Cammy had learned to just wait. Eventually, Kendall would notice her presence and stop working for the night.

It was maybe five minutes before Kendall did stop working. She set her tools down and sat next to Cammy at the table, breathing a heavy sigh. The nine year old chuckled.

"Long day?"

"I didn't sleep well last night," Kendall said. Cammy turned to her.

"Why?"

"It was... just one of those nights," she answered. "How was school."

Cammy smiled as she jumped out of her seat and ran to her bag, pulling out her homework book. It was littered in cat stickers, her teacher's favourite. She would hand them out for completed homework. However, there was one sticker that really stuck out. It was bigger than the rest, and was a cat dressed up as a dinosaur. Probably the most Ms. Patterson had ever strayed from pure cat stickers in her life. Cammy set the book down on the table and then opened it up to the homework from the night before.

"It's my story," Cammy said. "I got an A+!"

"Wow, Cammy, that's amazing!" Kendall took the book to skim through the story quickly, wanting to praise her sister properly for a job well done. "Cammy, this looks really good."

"Thanks," Cammy smiled. "Ms. Patterson even let me read it to the whole class and they clapped when I was done! It was so cool!"

"This is... Cammy, I'm so proud," Kendall said and put her arm around the little girl, giving her a hug. Cammy had never been stupid. Far from it, in fact. Were it not for her troubles at home, Cammy would have been receiving As from the very start of her educational career. However, the lack of support when Cammy lived with her mother, followed by her suicide, then moving in with the Goldbergs before their death had severely affected Cammy's work. The grades on her report card were well below what Cammy should have been achieving.

But finally, Cammy had a steady home. She had parents who loved and cared for her and supported her in school. They were adamant that Cammy always do her best, praising her efforts rather than her successes. Kendall remembered how much that had pushed her to work harder and get better. Finally she was receiving praise and recognition. Her hard work was paying off. Even better, if she happened to have an off day, or messed up on a test, the Fishers wouldn't chew her out for her. If she worked hard, if she truly handed in the very best work she could manage, the Fishers were proud of her. Kendall was happy to see they had kept up with Cammy as well.

It was making a world of a difference. Doing well in school would open up a lot of doors for Cammy.

"Think this will go up on the fridge?" Cammy asked. "I've never had anything on the fridge before."

"If Jon and Bella don't put it up on theirs, it's going up on mine," Kendall assured Cammy, who smiled brightly.

"Thanks," she set her homework book back in her bag so she wouldn't forget to take it home. "So, where is everybody?"

"They're still at work," Kendall said. "We can go up to say hi, if you want."

"In a bit," Cammy smiled. "Is it cool having them back?"

"I wish it were under better circumstances," Kendall sighed. "But it is great having everyone under the same roof again. I kind of... missed them."

"Even Shelby?"

"Even Shelby," Kendall nodded. "After living with the guys for a couple of months, I think this time around I'll really appreciate having a girl on the team."

"Shelby should too," Cammy chuckled. "You girls can kick butt now!"

"That's the plan," Kendall smiled.

"I hope the other Rangers we're going to get are going to be girls," Cammy said. "I think there are too many stinky boys for one team."

"We'll have to see about that. Though, the boys aren't that stinky."

Cammy looked to Kendall, raising an eyebrow. The purple Ranger chuckled and nodded her head.

"Okay, sometimes they can get pretty smelly."

"Boys are gross."

"I know you think that," Kendall said, ruffling her sister's hair. "Though... I hope it's okay if... I don't."

Cammy turned to her sister, frowning in curiousity. "Huh? What does that mean?"

"I... kissed Chase last night. I think we're dating."

"Dating!" Cammy practically jumped out of her seat with excitement. "You and Chase are boyfriend and girlfriend?"

Kendall could feel her hands getting sweaty as she shook her head. "Not yet, but... we're going to give it a shot. You're... okay with that, right?"

"Am I okay with it?" Cammy jumped off her seat and bounced excitedly. "This is the best news ever!"

"You think?"

"Chase is so awesome, Kendall!"

"I'm a little nervous about it."

"Why?"

"I've never dated before."

"There's a first time for everything."

"What if Chase isn't the right guy?"

"What if he is?" Cammy asked and grabbed Kendall by the arm. "What if he's the guy you're going to marry? And you'll have babies and... I'll be an aunt!"

"Whoa, whoa... slow down there, Cammy."

"I can't! I'm so excited!" Cammy tugged on Kendall's arm. "You and Chase, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"We haven't even been on a real date," Kendall said, groaning as she wished she had held off on sharing with Cammy until she knew for sure where things between her and Chase were headed.

"Well, what's the hold up?" Cammy asked. Kendall shrugged, unable to give an answer. Not that she had the time as Riley came down the slide, rushing over.

"Ms. Morgan, I need tomorrow off," he said. Kendall frowned.

"You _just_ got back to work."

"I want to run in the marathon. I've got to," Riley presented Kendall with a flyer. "It's for a good cause. I can run for the museum, if that helps?"

"The museum's already sponsoring the marathon," Kendall frowned. "We don't need someone actually running it."

"Please?" Riley begged. "I'll work weekends for the next..."

"Deal!" Kendall jumped on the opportunity. Weekends were the hardest shifts to fill, as everyone wanted the time off. She could spare Riley for the day of the marathon, which was expected to be slow anyways, in order to gain an extra employee for the weekends for the foreseeable future. Seeing Kendall's immediate reaction worried Riley a bit, but he was desperate to run.

"Thank, Ms. Morgan! I owe you!"


	3. Winners Never Cheat

The marathon was just about to start. Riley was warming up and prepping himself for the long run. He was sure that with his training, the marathon would be simple enough, but he didn't think it would be wise to overestimate his strength. As he stretched out his legs, he noticed Burt in the corner of his eyes. He seemed to be talking himself up, claiming he was going to be the one to set the record for the quickest time and that no one else would ever be able to beat him.

Riley felt his muscles tense. It was about time someone knocked Burt down a peg or two. Perhaps losing to the ' _Brainiac'_ would show him not to pick on others for their different strengths. After all, Burt had never once believed Riley to be competent in any kind of sport. Losing to him would have to be humbling at the very least.

Riley needed a sure-fire way to not only beat Burt, but set and impressive time. One that would, for sure haunt Burt for the rest of his marathoning career and remind him not to pick on those who were smaller or weaker than him. The only way Riley could guarantee that was with a little boost from his energem. He pulled the necklace out from under his shirt and took the stone in his hand.

"Good thinking, Riley," Ivan said as he came over. "I shall guard you energem and keep it safe until you have completed your journey through the park."

"Actually, I... I was going to keep it close," Riley said. He couldn't give up his energem. Having it in his hands made it easier to summon his powers. The strength and speed especially would be required for him to put Burt in his place. If Ivan held the stone, Riley would just be another runner.

"Then might I suggest you keep the energem where it belongs," Ivan said and pointed to Riley's necklace, "It is most secured and protected there, not to mention it is hidden from prying eyes."

"I... I guess," the green Ranger reluctantly started to clip the energem back to his necklace, but Ivan stopped him with his hand on his arm. When Riley looked up, he could see the Knight was looking to him questioningly.

"Is there something that bothers you, Riley?" Ivan asked him. "You aren't considering _using_ your energem in this race?"

"No, of course not," Riley lied, but couldn't bring himself to look Ivan in the eyes to make it convincing. "That would be cheating."

"Indeed, it would," Ivan nodded then he looked around at the other runners. "This sport is new to me, but it seems, like any other, most of the competitors have been in training for a while, have they not?"

"You don't just get up one day and run a marathon," Riley said. "It takes training."

"Yet, before yesterday, you had no such interest in this run," Ivan frowned. "You did enter at the last minute."

Ivan glanced to Riley's energem then looked Riley in the eyes.

"Do you intend on using the powers from your energem to help you in this race?"

"I just want to put that guy Burt in his place," Riley tried to justify his actions, hoping he could appeal to Ivan's sense of justice. "He's been picking on me since we were kids and it's just getting under my skin. He calls me brainiac."

"And a brainiac is..."

"Someone smart," Riley sighed. "But it's not flattering."

"But are you not an intellectual?"

"Well, I am but... Burt doesn't think I can run the marathon or even compete with him and the other kids. He thinks that because I'm smart, I can't be athletic."

"And this is not true?"

"I fight monsters, Ivan," Riley said. "I'm probably faster and stronger than him on my weaker days."

"And yet, you rely on the energem to prove your worth?" Ivan asked. "Seems a little odd to me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, should you choose to prove to Burt that you are just as capable as he, maybe more, should you not rely on your own athletic ability? As you said, you are faster and stronger than he is. Why drain your energem of some of its powers unnecessarily?"

"I need to make sure I beat him."

"Humiliate him, more like it," Ivan put his hands on Riley's shoulders. "A win is only worth celebrating if it is honest and earned. Using the power of the energem might guarantee you reach the end of this journey before your opponent, but you would also be making a mockery of the many other competitors who have trained long and hard for this event. You would be depriving them of a fair finish."

"I... I guess I never thought of it like that."

Ivan gave a little nod. "Furthermore, what is it that you need to prove to this Burt character? Will beating him in this race make you a better person? Hone your skills? Pushed yourself to be stronger?"

Riley looked down and shook his head, "I guess not."

"Riley, you are a good person," Ivan assured him. "Cheating is not in your nature. I trust you will do what is right."

Riley gave a little nod and then offered his energem to Ivan. The gold Ranger shook his head.

"I care not for how you choose to run this journey," Ivan said. "I will leave the decision for the kind of person you choose to be up to you. I merely wish you good luck and hope that you will be the same Riley I knew once you cross the finish line."

Riley clipped his energem back to his necklace as he watched Ivan join the other Rangers on the sideline. One of the officials called for the runners to place themselves at the starting line. Riley made his way to the front, touched his energem one more time and then shook his head.

"I'll win this fair and square," he said to himself before tucking it away. Then he turned to Burt, "Hey, man. Good luck out there."

"Pff, I don't need it," Burt said dismissively and Riley could see the competitiveness on his face and suddenly he realized this was all Burt had. He was the town athlete. He could run, jump and swim, but that was about it. He never did well in school, he had trouble making friends and unless he had earned himself a sport's scholarship, he wasn't likely to go to college. In fact, he was destined for a life of working on his family's farm, using his strength and power to fix fences, feed the livestock and care for crops.

Riley had a whole world of opportunities waiting for him. Burt wasn't as fortunate. If anything, this marathon and school sporting events were the only time he could leave town. Once they graduated and Burt found himself working long days on the farm, he wouldn't have time to do the things he loved. Maybe this marathon, once a year, but that was it.

Riley gave a little nod. He had it better than Burt. He refused to sink down to his level. When the marathon began, Riley pushed himself, but he was no longer in competition with Burt. It didn't matter in what place he finished, just that he did his very best.


	4. Two Sides of the Same Coin

A couple of days a week, after school, Cammy would spend the evenings with Kendall. Since Kendall was always either in the museum or the lab, Cammy's parents would drop her off there. Someone was always around to greet Cammy and she knew her way through the museum.

Today, her visit was cut short. Kendall had been there to walk her in, but almost as soon as they got down to the lab, Riley called from the marathon, stating that there was a problem. The water was causing people to forget who they were and since marathon runners wanted to keep hydrated, they had all been poisoned.

To make matters worse, Tyler, Shelby, Koda, Ivan and Chase had all gone to watch Riley run, and while they stood on the sidelines, they had taken a couple of sips of the drink themselves. Only Riley, who had brought his own sports drink, had been left unaffected.

Cammy watched as Kendall asked Riley to keep an eye on the people, especially the Rangers, while she tried to come up with an antidote. Since it seemed to be the water that was poisoned, she made her way upstairs. Guests in the museum were walking around aimlessly, as though they too had forgotten who they were. Kendall quickly reasoned that it wasn't just the water at the marathon, but the whole water supply that had been tampered with and was able to get a sample to study.

The little girl always found it fascinating and a little boring to watch Kendall work behind the scenes. It was amazing to see what her sister could accomplish with just her mind but it didn't have all the action of an actual battle. Maybe that was a good thing though. Once Kendall thought she came up with an antidote, she left the lab, asking Cammy to stay there where she was safe. The little girl had to watch her sister take off to fight with only Riley against whatever monster had caused this mess.

Cammy tried not to worry. After all, Kendall had an antidote, and if she believed it would work, surely there was no denying it would help the other Rangers. Then they would all be able to fight the monster, and together, nothing could stop them. Cammy repeated this over and over to herself until she heard someone coming back into the lab. She thought, for a moment, it was the Rangers, but a quick glance to Kendall's computers showed the purple Ranger was in the PlesioZord, spreading the antidote around the city to help cure as many people as quickly as possible and the other Rangers were in a battle against a new monster.

Maybe it was the Prince, but Cammy assumed that if he were in town, he would help out the Rangers. That meant, whoever was coming in wasn't supposed to be in the lab. No one but the Rangers knew of the lab's existence. Cammy backed into Koda's caves, hiding herself from the intruder, but still keeping close enough to the front so she could see who was coming inside.

"Finally, the energems will be mine!" Cammy heard the intruder say and knew she recognized that voice. She peeked out a little more and saw Heckyl, Kendall's friend who supposedly moved away, taking a quick look around the lab.

Fortunately, there were no energems in the lab. The Rangers always kept them near and since they were all out, the energems were gone. Cammy breathed a sigh of relief but then furrowed her brow deeply. First, why was Heckyl in the lab? How did he know of it's existence, or even worse, where it was? Second, why did he want the energems? How did he know of the energems?

Cammy stepped back further into the cave, certain that Heckyl was bad news and to be avoided. But as she did, she accidentally tripped over Koda's club. The trip didn't make much noise, but Cammy's surprised squeal did. She let out a little cry as she hit the ground and when she looked up, Heckyl was standing over her.

"What do we have here?" he teased her with a malicious smirk on his face. Cammy quickly to her to her feet and tried to run, but Heckyl grabbed her by the arm. "And where exactly do you think you're going?"

Cammy tried to pull herself free, but Heckyl's hold was strong. She looked up in terror.

"I... I won't say anything," it was a lie. As soon as she saw Kendall again she would tell her everything, but she needed Heckyl to believe she was sworn to secrecy. "I promise!"

"My dear," Heckyl knelt down and tried to look reassuring, but Cammy could still see the dark intent in his eyes. "Kendall sent me down here to check up on you."

His hands glowed brightly. Cammy looked down at them, then back up into his eyes. She shut her own and shook her head. Heckyl was trying to convince her he was allowed in the base, that this was part of Kendall's plan, but Cammy wouldn't believe it. Her head started to ache suddenly, and she found it harder to resist Heckyl.

"Now, dear, where are the energems?" Heckyl asked her. "While I'm keeping an eye on you, I might as well make sure nothing happens to them. You know, for Kendall's sake."

"The... the Rangers have them," Cammy said and tried to grab her head with her hands, but Heckyl was still holding her tight by the arm. He pulled her forward a little bit.

"What?" he asked. "But, the energems are supposed to be here!"

Cammy shook her head, tears flooded from her eyes as the pain grew. "Only... only when the Rangers are here too."

"What do you...? How am I supposed to get the energems, then?" Heckyl shouted before his grip on Cammy released and the pain in her head disappeared. She opened her eyes and watched as a tattoo behind his ear started to glow, mirroring the glow on his hands. Heckyl seemed to be the one in pain now but it didn't last long as his body transformed. Within seconds, Cammy no longer found herself face to face with a human, but rather, a monster.

"Kendall!" she screamed as the monster looked to her and drew his sword.

"Kendall's not here, child," the monster. "It's just Snide, and I'm not going to hurt you."

"You don't look like you're not going to hurt me," Cammy said, taking a step back and quickly glancing around for a quick way out. She would either have to try her luck climbing the slide, or wait for the elevator to come back down. Either way, she would have to outrun this Snide monster and she didn't think she could.

"How can I get the energems?"

"I... I don't know," Cammy shook her head, backing up a little bit more. Snide followed her forward. When she saw he wasn't going to let her get away, she panicked and tripped again. Before she could hit the ground he caught her arm. She screamed, but he didn't let go. Instead, he pulled her up by the arm until her feet where off the ground.

"Tell me how I can get the energems!"

Cammy shook her head, "Kendall!"

"She's not here!" Snide shouted and threw Cammy across the room. She screamed as she hit the wall then ground. Snide rushed towards her, sword in hand like he was going to cut her in half. Cammy pushed herself to her feet and tried to run for the elevator. She pushed the button to call it, but before the doors could open, Snide was already on her tail.

"Leave me alone!" she cried, running to the slide. She looked to it for a quick second, knowing there was no way she could climb up it fast enough. There was no way for her to get out of the lab and Snide didn't look like he wanted to leave either.

So she ran to Kendall's computer. If she couldn't get herself out, she needed help and fast. She jumped onto Kendall's chair and picked up her headset, speaking into it quickly.

"Kendall! Help! There's a monster in the lab! He says his name is Snide but he's..." she interrupted herself with a scream with Snide grabbed her around the waist. She dropped the headpiece and started to kick her legs out and scratch at his arm with her nails. Nothing worked. He wouldn't let her go.

So she bit him. She reached down, wrapped her mouth around his arm and chomped down as hard as she could. She remembered making another child cry in kindergarten after her teased her and for a few months the other kids were scared to play with her. She had made her classmate bleed, and he had to go to the hospital and get stitches. She was sure she wouldn't cause the same damage to Snide, but maybe she could cause him enough pain that he would let her go.

And she did. He cried out when he felt her bite and let her go. Cammy hit the floor and hoped she could find somewhere to hide, certain Kendall and the other Rangers wouldn't be too long now.

"You insolent child!" Snide shouted and suddenly Cammy saw the room get brighter. She turned around to face Snide and saw a ball of energy coming her way. She screamed and ducked and the power missed her but when it hit the wall the entire lab shook.

Snide shot another blast, and another, and another, refusing to stop. He was no longer firing directly at Cammy, but the structure of the lab was getting weak. Cammy ran under the table the Rangers usually gathered around, narrowly avoiding pieces of the ceiling that were coming down on her way over. She curled up, hiding her head until she heard the room go quiet. She looked up, hoping it meant Snide had taken off, or the Rangers had scared him off, but instead she saw him staring right at her, ready to fire one last blast of energy.

"Don't kill me!" she screamed, but it was too late. The blast came right for her. Cammy crawled out from under the table and used it as a shield. The table took the brunt of the shot but was picked up by the energy and flew into Cammy, trapping her between it and the wall.

Snide breathed heavily as he waited to see signs of movement from Cammy. If she couldn't get him answers she was nothing to him. Killing her would show the Rangers he wasn't going to play around. He would take the energems no matter the cost.

When he was sure Cammy was no longer a threat he turned around to leave. If the energems weren't in the lab, there was no sense being there. But once he turned around, he found himself face to face with the purple Ranger, her blaster trained on him.

"You just made the biggest mistake of your life," Kendall growled and shot at him Snide took the blast in the chest, though it hardly caused him any damage. He looked down, then back up again. The purple Ranger was suddenly standing next to the blue Ranger. When he glanced around the lab, he saw all the Rangers had joined.

"This just makes my job a lot..." he was cut off as a light on the side of his neck began to glow and suddenly there was a fearful look in his eyes. "You're lucky, Rangers. I've got to go."

He stumbled towards the elevator, stepping into just as the doors opened. The Rangers tried to follow him out, but he cried out loudly, stopping them in their tracks. The doors closed and when the Rangers managed to open it again they saw the elevator hadn't moved, but Snide was gone.

Kendall couldn't care that he had gotten away. Not now at least. She had just gotten back to the lab in time to hear Cammy scream and knew Snide had done something to her. She powered down and rushed to the last place Snide had fired a blast. Koda was right behind her. He picked up the damaged table, lifting it over his head before throwing it aside.

Underneath, Cammy was lying on the floor. Kendall called her name, hoping the little girl was just trying to hide by staying completely still but Cammy didn't respond. She touched her back and leaned in, whispering to Cammy that she was safe now. Cammy didn't move.

"No, no, no..."

"Ms. Morgan..."

"Cammy!" Kendall screamed and Chase rushed over, pulling her away and into his arms. Koda moved in as well and scooped Cammy up in his arms. Riley immediately tried to jump in to stop him.

"Koda, she's hurt, don't..."

Koda growled in response and hugged Cammy close to his chest. He looked to Riley in a way that suggested in the green Ranger tried to interfere he would tear him apart.

"Cammy is hurt!" he shouted. "Need hospital!"

"Yes, but Koda..." Koda roared loudly in Riley's face before pushing him out of the way and running off. Shelby followed right behind the caveman and Tyler wasn't far behind her.

Ivan offered a hand to Riley, helping him up off the floor before they rushed out as well. Kendall wanted to follow and pulled against Chase, but he wouldn't let her go.

"Kendall, you need to calm down first."

"Chase, she's... she's..."

"Shh," Chase pulled her in closer, though she fought against him, he couldn't let her go just yet. Koda was already going to scare the doctors and nurses. He wouldn't need help from an even more scared and overprotective Kendall. "We don't know for sure yet."

"She's a kid!" Kendall screamed at him. "She's just a kid! He attacked a..."

Chase felt Kendall tense up as she trailed off. She looked to the elevator where Snide had fled. Her fists clenched.

"Now, it's personal," she growled. Chase let her go, watched her with a curious frown and scratched his head.

"And it wasn't before?"

Kendall gathered up what she could of her lab, making sure to take the chargers, her tablet, and anything else that hadn't been broken in the attack. Then she turned to Chase.

"I'll be at home."

"Cammy needs you," Chase told her and Kendall's eyes started to water. She shook her head.

"Chase, she's..."

"You don't _know_ that," he said. "You can work on that stuff later..."

"And let him get away with this!" Kendall screamed. "She's _nine_ Chase!"

"He won't get away with this," Chase promised her. "But Cammy needs you more than anything right now. Let's be with her."

"I..."

"She's _nine_ , Kendall," he used her own point against her. "If there's any chance she gets through this, she's going to need _you._ Not Koda, not your parents, _you._ "

Kendall let a few tears slip down her cheeks. Chase pulled her back into his arms.

"You're not going to lose her," he whispered and he knew he was taking a big chance with this promise. He had no idea what condition Cammy was in. She very well could be dead. But he would hold onto hope, just in case. Cammy was tougher than she looked, after all. "Kendall, you hear me? She's not going anywhere. Now you just need to be there for her."

Kendall nodded her head. She hoped Chase was right.


	5. Much Needed Talks

In the hospital waiting room, Tyler made his way over to the chairs with two cups of coffee in his hands. He kept one for himself and offered the second to Shelby. He took a seat next to her as she took the cup. The room was relatively silent despite being crowded. Because there had just been an attack in the city, there were a large number of people with complaints about injuries. One quick look around and Tyler knew most of the people waiting would be fine. He and the other Rangers had managed to keep casualties to a minimum. He assumed many of the people waiting were just being overdramatic, considering most weren't even bleeding and looked like they had just tripped as they tried to flee the battle scene.

Fortunately, even in busy times, the hospital looked after the most urgent patients first. Cammy had been rushed in for treatment almost before Koda could set her down on a gurney and no one had seen or heard anything since. All of the Rangers were waiting on news and no one had dared speak a word in the entire time. Tyler decided he had enough of the silence and leaned into the pink Ranger.

"Can we talk?" he asked her. Shelby didn't look to him.

"About what?"

"Our uh... What happened at the bar?"

Shelby grew visibly uncomfortable, shifting away from Tyler slightly. "Why... I mean, what's there to talk about?"

"You running out suddenly."

"We're here for Cammy," she tried to turn the attention back on the hospital, hoping Tyler would respect their reason for being in the hospital and being so silent out of respect for the little girl.

"There's nothing we can do for her here," Tyler reminded Shelby. "I think we should clear things up. I don't like how it's so... awkward between us."

"Awkward. What's awkward?" Shelby tried to play it off like she had no idea what Tyler was talking about, but the blush on her face more than gave her away.

"For the love of god," Kendall grumbled, turning to the two, frustration and worry evident on her face. "He likes you. You like him. Now can the two of you take this somewhere else? Some of us are trying to concentrate."

Tyler and Shelby were both blushing at this point and averted their gazes from one other, but when they noticed Kendall was glaring at them and waiting for them to leave; they both got up and decided it would be less awkward to have the conversation. They stepped just outside the hospital. Shelby started to rub her arms.

"Look, Tyler, about that night. I just... I forgot that I needed to be somewhere."

"I like you Shelby," Tyler blurted out, once more deciding to follow Chase's advice. It seemed to have won him the girl, so Tyler had to think that maybe there was something to Chase's tactic. Maybe being bold and coming out with his feelings instead of dancing around them would get him some definite answers, even if it hurt. When Shelby heard his confession, she shut up and stared at him, as if wracking her brain for a response. Tyler took a deep breath and continued. "I like you a lot, okay. At the bar, I was hoping I could ask you out, but you ran and... If you don't like me back, you can just tell me."

"I... I..." Shelby didn't know what to say, though this was exactly what she had been waiting for from Tyler for almost a year now. She shifted from side to side, bit her lip and wondered why she was so nervous.

"Do you... like me?" Tyler felt like a little boy, passing a note in class asking Shelby to check either yes or no. It seemed so juvenile but maybe the kids were onto something.

Shelby nodded her head hesitantly.

"Will you... go out with me?" Tyler asked. "Uh, I mean, once this whole thing with Cammy is... well, you know."

Shelby nodded her head again, "I... I would like that."

"Yeah, me too," it was Tyler's turn to nod. "Awesome."

"Yeah," for a moment, the two just stood there, unable to make eye contact. Finally, Shelby broke the silence. "So, should we head back in? Cammy uh..."

"Yeah... Yeah, we should," Tyler pulled the door open for Shelby. She tried to give him a smile while avoiding looking at him. Tyler let her go back to the waiting room first and as he followed her, he couldn't help but grin brightly. Sure, things were still a little awkward between them, but at least now it was the good kind of awkward. The kind that meant he was making progress and had gotten his answers.

Meanwhile, off in the other corner of the room, Riley was on his phone. Since the Rangers had found the antidote to Snide's latest poison and the city had recovered their memories, the marathon had resumed. Unfortunately, since Cammy had called for help, Riley needed to bail. This meant he was unable to complete the marathon and was likely to hear it from Burt.

His Riley had sent him a text, teasing him about finishing in first place. It bothered Riley a bit that he couldn't do anything to wipe the smirk off Burt's face, but more than that, Riley found he didn't care. With Cammy in the hospital, possibly clinging to life, the marathon didn't matter much at all – never mind who finished first.

"Any regrets?" Ivan asked, sitting next to Riley.

"About ditching the marathon? Of course not!"

"About not using the energem," Ivan clarified. "Had you used it, you could have finished the marathon, saved the world and still been here for young Cammy."

Riley looked down at the energem around his neck and then shook his head. "It doesn't matter."

"The race?"

"No one remembers stuff like that anyways," he said. "Besides, I know who I am. I don't need to prove myself to Burt."

"And why not?" Ivan asked.

"Like I said, I know who I am," Riley tucked his energem back inside his shirt and turned to Ivan. "Burt doesn't define me. What he thinks of me doesn't matter, especially if he won't get to know me."

"You are an honourable man, Sir Riley," Ivan said, giving the green Ranger a pat on the shoulder and a smile. "Your decision is noble. And, for what it's worth, _I_ think you could have beaten this Burt character in the long run."

Riley chuckled and nodded his head. "Thanks, Ivan."

-Dino-Charge-

It was just a few hours after they arrived at the hospital, but the doctors finally let Cammy take visitors. Kendall had called her parents to let them know of Cammy's injuries, but they had yet to arrive. They were likely packing up the house. Kendall remembered getting her appendix removed just a year after moving in with the Fishers. They stayed by her bedside for the entire stay at the hospital and brought her as many comforts from home as they could carry. Kendall hadn't even stayed many nights, since the operation was so routine and recovery was expected.

With Cammy's injuries, she was likely to be in the hospital a long time. Her parents were going to do everything they could to make her feel at home and safe. Kendall wouldn't be surprised if, when they did show up, they brought her bed from home and forced the hospital staff to let Cammy sleep in there.

Cammy would be in good hands until they arrived, though. Kendall was determined not to let the little girl out of her sight. When the doctor said Cammy was stable and that one person could visit, there was no question. Kendall volunteered herself and didn't look back. She followed the doctor all the way to the pediatric unit and into Cammy's room. She looked to her sister, her _little_ sister, lying in the bed, hooked up to wires, computers and IV bags.

" _Don't kill me!"_

Kendall screwed her eyes shut and clenched her fists. Those words had been echoing inside her head since she heard them. Cammy had been afraid for her life. Kendall couldn't blame her. The Lab was supposed to be a safe place, isolated from danger and threats of any kind. Cammy should have felt protected there; her only worry being if the Rangers made it home. Unfortunately, and Kendall had no idea how this could have happened, but Snide managed to get in. Kendall had left Cammy, a child, alone in the base and one of the monsters invaded.

It was her fault. Kendall shook her head. It had to be her fault. Snide, the monster, he had been the one who kidnapped her. He had been the one who forced information out of her. If she had been stronger, if she had found a way to not give out that information, Cammy wouldn't be here, fighting for her life in a hospital bed. She wouldn't be in this much pain or fear.

"Kendall?" someone called and she turned around. Mr. Fisher was standing in the doorway. He had his arms full with all of Cammy's stuffed dinosaurs. He quickly set them down on her bed when he saw his oldest daughter on the verge of tears. "She's going to be okay," he promised her, taking her into his arms.

"It's my fault," she whispered, resting her head on his shoulder. It killed her that she couldn't tell him why or how, but she had to say something. He shook his head and rubbed her back gently.

"Kendall, honey, no. These things, they happen," he didn't even know what had happened. Had she been attacked in the museum by a low-life, or caught up in the recent monster attacks? He wasn't sure, but Kendall was sporting some new bruises as well. He figured, whatever had happened, Kendall had done her very best to protect her little sister. He never doubted for an instance she would let something so terrible happen. She was perhaps the only person who loved Cammy more than her parents, and who cared for her better than they ever could.

"I thought she'd be safe. I..."

"You are the best thing that happened to that little girl," her father assured her. "She doesn't need you worrying about this right now. She needs you here; she needs you to stay strong for her."

"She was so scared," Kendall whispered. "I heard it. I heard her screaming and... I was too late. I promised I'd protect her. I'd never let anything bad happen to her and... I let her down."

"You did your best. I know it."

"But..."

"No parent is perfect. No sister is perfect. Your mother and I, we're beating ourselves up over this too."

"But Jon..."

"I know it was your night with her but... that's just how it goes, honey," Jon kissed his daughter's forehead. "You know there was nothing you could have done, and you still feel guilty. Helpless, even."

Kendall leaned into her father again and let him believe his words were helping, but they couldn't. He had no idea just how badly she had failed her sister. He had no idea the real reason Cammy was lying in the bed, fighting for her life. For a brief moment, Kendall thought about leaving. She thought about cutting ties once again with her family to keep them safe.

But she couldn't do it. Walking away had never done her any good, whether it was someone leaving her, or her leaving her family. And Cammy needed her now more than ever. Snide was out there, he knew who Cammy was and it was clear he wouldn't hold back just because she was a kid. If Cammy did pull through, she would still be in danger.

Kendall pulled away from her father and walked to the bed. She placed her hand on top of Cammy's and sighed heavily. She wouldn't leave, not for a second. Cammy could be scared or in pain as much as she needed, but she would never doubt that she had someone fighting with her. She would never have to question Kendall's loyalty to her.

And if Kendall ever did see Snide again, she was going to make sure he knew she meant what she told him. Hurting Cammy was going to be the biggest mistake he ever made.

It would cost him his life.


	6. The Truth Revealed

Cammy knew right away that something wasn't right. Her body ached, there was a strange beeping sound but it smelled like Kendall's lab, only in a bad way. It was clean, but unlike Kendall's lab, this place smelled especially sterile. Cammy opened her eyes slowly, but her eyelids were too heavy. Before her vision could clear, her eyes shut. Cammy took in a deep breath and tried again, forcing her eyes to stay open long enough so she could get a look around.

She didn't recognize the room she was in, but she saw her mother first. Mrs. Fisher was standing next to Mr. Fisher, her back to Cammy. Mr. Fisher had a worried look on his face as he spoke with a man in a lab coat. Cammy shut her eyes again and tried to focus on breathing. The more she could breathe the less heavy her eyes felt.

She opened her eyes one more time and saw the man in the lab coat was a doctor. He was speaking with her parents, but she couldn't understand. They were whispering, maybe so they didn't wake her. Cammy didn't want them to think she was sleeping. She wanted them to know she was awake so they could tell her what was going on. Why was there a doctor in her room? Why was this room not her bedroom? But as she tried to speak, no voice came out. Her mouth was so dry and she forgot how to make words. She clenched her fists, hoping it would come back to her soon, but as her hand tightened she felt she was holding onto something. Turning her head slightly, she saw Kendall, asleep with her head on the bed. Right away, Cammy wanted to wake Kendall. She wanted the purple Ranger to know she was awake. She wanted Kendall to answer her questions. She pulled on Kendall's hand, but the scientist didn't stir. Cammy realized she had very little strength. What felt like a strong tug to her was probably nothing worth noting for Kendall.

So she tried to speak again, "K...K..."

"Cammy!" her mother must have heard her, as she spun around and rushed to Cammy's bedside, opposite of Kendall who was still asleep. Cammy's eyes shifted to her mother, then her father and the doctor quickly, before settling back on Kendall. Mr. Fisher knew to wake his oldest daughter. When he touched Kendall's back and shook her gently, she seemed to shoot up. Cammy was jealous at how it took Kendall almost no time to be wide awake while she was still struggling with keeping her eyes open.

"Cammy!"

"I'll let you all have a moment," the doctor said but Cammy didn't care to watch him leave. Her eyes were still settled on Kendall, who sat on the edge of the bed and gently touched her face. For Cammy, that wasn't enough. She tried to push herself up, grumbling in frustration when she could barely will her arms to move. Fortunately, when she started to cry, Kendall responded by gently pulling her up and taking her into her arms. Cammy settled there, close to Kendall's chest, safe from the world.

"Cammy, do you remember what happened?" her father asked. Kendall had already explained as best as she could. Her parents believed that she and Cammy had been on a walk to the park when the monster attacked and Cammy was trapped under some debris. It killed Kendall not to tell her parents the truth, especially when they seemed to worry for the little girl just as much as she did. However, knowing the truth had put Cammy in this very position. She couldn't do the same to her parents. She had to lie.

Cammy shook her head. She continued to hide in Kendall's arms until she recognized her toy Plesio that her mother was holding out. She looked like she wanted it, but she could barely move. Kendall seemed to know exactly what Cammy was thinking and took the toy and hugged it, keeping it close to Cammy.

"We should..." Mr. Fisher whispered to his wife as he touched her arm and nodded his head in the direction of the door. Cammy was his daughter and anyone who said otherwise would get an earful from him about what family truly meant. However, it wasn't forgotten how Cammy came into his life. His daughters shared a special bond that surpassed the way he felt for either of them. In times like this, they needed each other more than anyone else. Leaving Cammy with Kendall for a moment, just to be, was probably the best treatment he could give.

Mrs. Fisher knew this as well. On her husband's cue, she followed him out the door. As soon as it clicked shut, Kendall kissed the top of Cammy's head, and the little girl could feel drops wetting her hair.

"I'm sorry," Kendall whispered. "Cammy, I'm so sorry..."

Cammy gave her head a little nod. She was scared and she was angry. Kendall had promised to keep her safe from monsters. She had promised she would never let them hurt her again. She had let Cammy down in the worst way.

At the same time, Cammy couldn't stay angry. Kendall had left her in the lab, supposedly the safest place. How could she have known Snide would come? If she had, she likely never would have left Cammy there alone. Cammy wasn't sure of this. There was no ways he could ever be completely sure, but she felt the way Kendall was holding her now, she felt the tears hitting the top of her head and she knew Kendall, better than anyone else. If Kendall could have done anything differently to stop this, she would have. She would, from here on out, beat herself up over what happened more than anyone else could. She didn't need Cammy staying angry.

But also, Cammy needed Kendall. Her parents couldn't protect her and she didn't feel as close to the other Rangers as she did with Kendall. Sure, the others cared for Cammy. They were likely upset over what happened as well. But none of them could make Cammy feel as safe, as loved, as cared for Kendall.

No one ever had, and no one ever could. In times like this, Cammy needed Kendall the most.

"You came," Cammy whispered. "I knew it."

It was the best thing she could think to say. The only thing she was sure would comfort Kendall in the slightest. Cammy had been scared in the lab. She had feared for her life, but she never doubted that Kendall could show up for her. Once she put the call in, she knew the purple Ranger would drop everything and turn the PlesioZord around. She knew Kendall would kick Snide's butt and make him wish he had never laid eyes on Cammy. The only uncertainty Cammy had back then was whether she could avoid Snide's attacks for long enough to give Kendall the time she needed.

Time was the enemy here. Time, distance, and of course Snide.

Cammy looked up and examined the fear on Kendall's face. It made her smile not because she was happy Kendall was in pain, but because she had Kendall. She imagined what it must have been like for Kendall, in the PlesioZord over the city to get the call that Snide was in the base. She imagined the way the fear must have built up in Kendall's body slowly, but all at once. She imagined it being like how she felt when she found her mother dead, but worse. Ten times worse, maybe more. Then she imagined a terrible rage coursing through Kendall, blinding her to everything that was happening and leading her back to the base. She imagined that rage being coupled with the fear that she wouldn't get there in time.

She imagined Kendall worrying for her, that Kendall was scared because she was scared. She imagined Kendall being angry with Snide and with herself for what happened.

Then, she imagined Kendall making it to the lab and finding her and how scary it must have been to think maybe she was gone.

All of that made Cammy smile. She had someone she could count on; someone who would put her first; who would beat insurmountable odds just for her. She had someone who, when she called, would come running. Seeing the smile on Cammy's face made Kendall smile as well. She gave Cammy a little squeeze, then lay her back down in the bed.

"He'll regret this," she told Cammy. "It's his biggest mistake."

"I know," Cammy whispered. Her eyes were getting heavy again. "I just wish I got to tell Heckyl that."

"Heckyl?" Kendall frowned. "No, Cammy, it was..."

Cammy was asleep again. Kendall didn't get a chance to correct her, but she didn't think she could. Correcting her would have implied Cammy was wrong, and there was a feeling in Kendall's gut that it wasn't Cammy's pain or her concussion that left her confused. Instead, it had spilled the truth.

Curiosity peaked, and like every time that happened, Kendall needed to get some answers. She tucked Plesio under Cammy's arm, surrounded the little girl with all her other dinosaurs and then kissed her forehead gently before heading out. She asked her parents to stay with Cammy and keep an eye on her while she made her way back to the museum.

It was the early morning. Very few people were there, which was a good thing. If Kendall was right, she needed as few civilians around as possible.

She walked by the cafe, where the others were working. She had thought of closing the museum while Cammy was in the hospital, but the Rangers insisted working would keep them busy until they got some good news. Kendall had let them be, and continued to leave them while she made her way to the lab. She stopped halfway there and turned around.

Snide wouldn't know she was onto him. Heckyl wouldn't think so either. He had gotten to Cammy before she could arrive. If anything, Heckyl would show up to test the waters and see what damage control, if any, needed to be done.

She switched course to her office and pushed the door open slowly. There, on the couch, Heckyl was sitting, playing with his hands nervously, as if he knew. Kendall stepped in, eyeing him cautiously. When he saw her he jumped up.

"I came as soon as I heard."

"You... you're back?" she asked as he pulled her in for a hug. Heckyl nodded his head.

"Of course. I heard the news from a couple of towns over and I took the first bus back," he explained and Kendall felt compelled to believe him but shook her head and reminded herself of Cammy.

"That was fast," she told him. Heckyl frowned a little at her response and glanced to his hands just long enough for Kendall to notice.

"I knew how close you two were," he said and again, Kendall wanted to believe him, but she thought of Cammy, how the little girl had accused him and shook the feeling from her head. She looked down at his hands and suddenly noticed how they were blue.

" _Energems, you mean... like this?" he asked and Kendall felt him reach into her shirt to touch her energem. As soon as he did, something washed over her and she was suddenly very aware of what she had been saying. She grabbed the energem with one hand, pushed him away from the other and then ripped the blindfold off._

" _Who the hell are you?" she growled. Heckyl looked to her with a smirk and she noticed his hands were glowing._

"You..." she growled and Heckyl's eyes widened in panic for just a moment before he reached to the couch, picked up a pillow and touched it to her head. As soon as he did, Kendall felt exhaustion overcome her and she fell into his arms. Heckyl smirked as he caught her then set her down gently on the couch. Before leaving, he made sure to take her energem from around her neck and slip it in his pocket.

"That was close," he whispered as he walked through the museum halls. "I'll have to be more careful with the others."


	7. Sweet Dreams and Bitter Realities

Shelby knew one way or another, this deal would come to bit her in the ass.

A job at the museum wasn't just for kicks. Her parents wanted her to work and earn her own way through school, insisting it would instill in her a strong work ethic as well as an inside understanding of business. Not to mention her father was a firm believer in understanding the employees on the ground floor. According to him, a successful business required that the people at the top have a strong and accurate understanding of the conditions of those beneath them. After all, happy workers made for happy customers.

After high school, Shelby managed to convince her parents that the museum would be a great place to start. The Dino Bite Cafe resembled their ice-cream shop, so she would be able to pick up on many tips and tricks on working with other employees, time management, as well as the most difficult of all: customers. Her father was happy and Shelby got to work close to her passion, which made her happy. So far, everything was working out well.

Until she went on her trip with Tyler. Searching the country for his father hadn't been cheap. Tyler did know how to keep costs low, but with Shelby tagging along, the focus wasn't solely on finding his father. While they did follow his journal in the hopes of encountering him, they didn't stray from touring the cities and getting a better understanding of the country they lived in. Shelby's parents had been willing to give her the money for that so long as she promised to start applying for business schools. Desperate to spend more time with Tyler, eager to break away from her parents and their pestering her about business and excited about getting a chance to see her country, Shelby accepted the deal.

Only now, she had gone on her trip and come back, and her parents were really starting to breathe down her neck. Applications were due soon and if she missed the deadline, there would be hell to pay.

Going back to school wasn't a problem for Shelby. She wanted to study. However, business was easily the most boring thing she could do. She didn't care for any of it. She didn't want to be a business woman; she wanted to be a paleontologist. If it were up to her, she would go to school for that, and forgo the math and business courses. However, her father insisted she take over the family business and he wanted her to keep up their success.

She walked into the museum feeling rather tired. She had been up all night first to fight her parents on this. She hoped she could convince them to let her follow her own path. When she realized they were just as stubborn as she, maybe more, she gave up and decided to just do the applications. Her only hope now was that no school would accept her. Maybe, if she complete the forms just right, they could see the lack of enthusiasm in her answers and essays and pass her over. Then, her parents would have no choice but to let her follow her dreams.

At least, she hoped.

Purposely trying to botch her application, without her parents being the wiser was a tough job and it kept her up well into the morning. She yawned loudly as she grabbed her apron and stood behind the counter. She barely noticed as Heckyl walked in, looking around quickly before setting his sights on her.

"Shelby, right?" he asked. They knew each other, though not very well. Still, he was confident she would recognize him. By the way she glared at him suspiciously, but also nodded her head, he assumed she did.

"I don't know where Ms. Morgan is," she said. Like Koda, Chase and Ivan, she wasn't sure what to make of Heckyl. Since he had come to town, a lot of strange and threatening things had happened to Kendall. No one could point the finger directly at Heckyl, but there was no way it was a coincidence. At the same time, Kendall trusted him immensely. Outside of the Rangers, he was her closest friend. Shelby opted not to cause too much strife over it, but did keep her eye on Heckyl when he was around. If that meant playing dumb and saying she had no idea where Kendall was when he asked, she would. The harder it was for them to meet up, the better, and Shelby couldn't be blamed for interfering. "I just walked in."

"That's quite alright," Heckyl assured her. "I actually just came in for one of those famous bronto burgers. You know, it occurred to me that after all this time, I have yet to try it."

"One bronto burger, coming up," Shelby said as she placed the order. While she was turned to the kitchen, Heckyl pulled the pillow out from behind his back. If he could reach Shelby, she too would fall asleep and he could steal the pink energem while the cafe was empty. However, just before he could, she turned back around, gasping when right in front of her face was a bright, pink pillow. "What the..."

"Sorry," Heckyl said and pulled the pillow back. "It's uh... new and I just wanted to ask you if you thought it would be soft enough to use or just for decoration?"

"You could have just asked," Shelby thought it was odd Heckyl would shove the pillow in his face, but given the way he spoke and dressed, she assumed there was a lot about him that couldn't be explained. She took the pillow and squished it a little in her hands. "Feels soft. Not too firm."

"What about against your face?" Heckyl asked. "That is where it'll be, after all."

"I guess that's true," Shelby nodded and placed the pillow against the side of her head. Almost instantly her already tired eyes felt very heavy and she could no longer keep them open. With the pillow, she leaned against the counter and rested her head. Heckyl watched her nod off and waited until he was sure she was out. It didn't take long, but he had learned to be cautious around the Rangers. They were a little harder to outwit than he originally intended. Still, he was sure this time his plan would work. Shelby's eyes shut and he took his energem from around her neck. He placed it in his pocket with the purple one then turned around as a ghostly pink light flew into the cafe. The light approached Shelby before entering through her ear. Heckyl smirked as Shelby rose to her feet, eyes open but staring far off into the distance, like she wasn't present. She walked to the kitchen where the other Rangers were working.

Heckyl knew he had to get out quickly. They were already suspicious of him. He didn't need to be seen when a new threat appeared. Heckyl walked out of the cafe to the sound of something clashing in the kitchen and the Rangers calling out for Shelby to stop attacking them.

But he wasn't ready to leave the museum yet. No doubt the boys would be busy with Shelby, they wouldn't think to have a look around. He had a couple of minutes, at least, on his hands and he wanted to take advantage. He turned back down the hallway that led to Kendall's office and walked in. She was still on the couch where he had left her. He watched her for a moment, then took off his jacket, set it on the coat hanger and sat down next to her, stroking her face gently.

"Soon, I'll have all the energems," he told her sleeping form. "I'll have all the power you could ever imagine. Then, you won't be able to resist..."

He was interrupted by a knock on the door and before he could say anything, it opened. A man stepped in, several years Heckyl's senior. He glanced around the room quickly before he saw Heckyl with his daughter on the couch. Heckyl noticed the way he was seated, with his hand on Kendall's cheek, stroking it gently and knew what this man, her father, would assume.

He quickly jumped up and pulled away, but then realized that was probably the wrong thing to do. It made him look guilty of exactly what Mr. Fisher was thinking. Heckyl bowed slightly.

"Sir, I was just..."

"Would you please excuse us?" Mr Fisher asked and Heckyl nodded his head.

"Yes, sir. Of course," he kept his eyes on Mr. Fisher as he made his way to the door, reaching for his jacket as he did. Mr. Fisher walked to the couch and tried to wake Kendall. Heckyl knew she wouldn't wake and wondered how her father would react to that. It didn't seem to take him long to notice something was off and when he looked up at Heckyl, he growled.

"I really must be going," Heckyl said and raced off, but Mr. Fisher followed him out He grabbed Heckyl by his jacket, pulling him back. Not wanting to be found out, Heckyl ditched the jacket, forgetting he had left the energems in the pocket.

Leaving the jacket behind meant he could run away. Mr. Fisher seemed reluctant to go too far from his daughter while she was unconscious and there was a mysterious man in her office. He clutched the jacket tight in his hands and turned back.


	8. Heckyl and Snide

Shelby couldn't remember being knocked out, but she did realize something had happened. She came to, holding her sabre in her hand with the boys looking to her in fear and panic. She quickly got the impression that they felt threatened by her. She dropped her sabre and looked around, thinking maybe there was something going on behind her. When she saw nothing, she frowned deeply.

"What... What happened here?"

"You attack us," Koda explained, setting down the chair he had used to protect himself. Like the others, he had been sure he could hold Shelby off, but not without hurting her. He hadn't wanted to take the risk of harming his friend so when she attacked, he took to the defensive, hiding behind as much as he could until Shelby snapped out of whatever state she had been in. It wasn't until Shelby came after Tyler and he grabbed the random pillow on the cafe counter in a desperate attempt to protect himself that Shelby settled down. "Then pink... poof come out of head."

Tyler looked to the pillow in his hands, then to Shelby. He wanted to believe that Shelby had stopped her attacks because she couldn't hurt him. He wanted to think maybe there was something more between them. After all, they were technically dating. He had confirmed there were feelings. However, he was certain that was just fairy tale. He held up both ends of the sliced pillow and then turned to Riley. Of everyone in the room, he was likely going to be the first to put the pieces together.

"We should get Ms. Morgan," he said and just as he was about to leave when Chase stepped in his way.

"Don't you think she's got enough going on? Can't _you_ figure this out?"

Riley stroked his chin. Chase raised a good point. With Cammy in the hospital, Kendall's mind was obviously elsewhere. Not to mention, this was a pretty intense puzzle. One that would surely challenge him and get him thinking in new ways. He would love to say that when it came to one freaky occurrence, he had not only figured out what was going on, but also how to stop it.

But the fate of the world was potentially at stake. Odds were good that Snide was striking again with a new monster. Riley could do puzzles, but he couldn't figure out problems like this one as quickly or as effectively as Kendall. He shook his head, looking to Chase with a little guilt.

"It would help to have an extra hand," he said. "Besides, Ms. Morgan's the expert with the technology. She'll get this figured out and over with in half the time, at most."

Chase sighed. He knew it was a lot to ask to keep Kendall away from this one, but Riley was insisting he could use her help, he knew Kendall herself would be pretty ticked off if she was excluded and the team needed as many hands as possible on this one. If Snide was trying to turn the Rangers against each other, they needed to act fast to stop him.

"Alright," he sighed and took out his phone to call her, believing she was still in the hospital with Cammy. While he did that, Tyler set the pink pillow down on one of the dining tables and stood next to Shelby. He looked to her with concern.

"Are you okay?"

"I have no idea what happened," she said, rubbing her face in her hands, feeling like she had just woken up from a terrible nap. "One minute I'm working the cash. The next, I'm trying to... kill you guys. That doesn't make any sense."

"You weren't yourself back there at all," Tyler admitted. "I mean, I know we guys drive you crazy sometimes, but..."

"I'd never hurt you," Shelby said while she glanced to the two pieces of the pillow. "Heckyl."

"Huh?"

"Kendall's friend," Shelby continued while Koda and Ivan turned their attention to her. "He gave me that pillow. I do remember that much."

"Heckyl gave you this pillow?" Ivan asked, holding up the pillow to confirm. He had never liked Heckyl. No one standing in the room right now did. However, there had never been any proof that he wasn't at least a decent guy. No one had seen him do anything wrong. Kendall swore he was a good person and could be trusted. It was weird that no one liked him, yet he seemed rather... normal perhaps wasn't the best word given his manner of speaking and his choice of outfit, but it was the best word that Ivan could think of. "And then all of a sudden, you're trying to kill us?"

"Not... intentionally," Shelby shook her head. "I was... I was at the cash, right. And I remember thinking about how my parents want me to start applying to colleges when he walked in. He placed the order for the bronto burger and then all of a sudden there's just this pillow in my face. He asks me to test it out for him."

"He wanted you to test out a pillow?"

"He was asking if I thought it was soft enough to use or if he should keep it for decoration. I thought it was weird too but... Have you seen the guy? He's the definition of weird. _That's_ what I remember happening right before..."

Shelby trailed off when suddenly two paramedics rushed into the museum, following one of the tours guides. They were headed in the direction of Kendall's office. Chase, who had been trying without success to get through to Kendall's cell phone finally hung up and the Rangers all, stepped outside the cafe, fearing something had happened. When they saw Mr. Fisher meeting with the paramedics and telling them his daughter wasn't waking up they all turned to each other.

"He struck twice, it seems," Ivan stated just before Chase and Koda took off running.

"Shelby attacked us," Riley reminded the others. "Maybe we should prepare ourselves for another face off?"

"Against Lady Kendall?" Ivan asked and took his energem. It had been hard enough battling one friend. He couldn't imagine doing so again. He would never forgive himself if he brought harm to his teammates, even for their own good. Tyler also reached for his energem and wondered about asking Shelby, Ivan and Riley to morph. After all, if they were going to hold off Kendall, it would be much easier to try and get her under control if they were stronger than she was. The suits would protect them from anything she tried.

Seeing Ivan and Tyler reach for them energems triggered the same response in Shelby. She placed her hand on her chest just to feel for her energem but it wasn't there. She tapped her chest then dug into her shirt, but the energem was gone.

"He... he stole it!"

"Who?"

"Heckyl!"

"He took your energem?" Tyler asked.

"He knows about the energems?" Riley said, raising his eyebrow. "How does he know about them in the first place?"

"Ms. Morgan..."

"She's no fool," Ivan shook his head. "Lady Kendall and Heckyl spent many a nights together, but she always insisted he was her friend outside of her Ranger responsibilities."

"I'm with Ivan on that," Riley nodded. "Ms. Morgan's the first person to say we can't tell anyone about any of this."

"But then how does Heckyl know about the energems?" Tyler asked. "It's not like any of us would have told him?"

"Maybe... Heckyl works for Snide?" Shelby suggested and she seemed a little doubtful herself. Heckyl was a suspicious character, but she never once thought he was evil. A scumbag, maybe. Sleezy? Sure. Not the kind of guy she wanted to be hanging out with, of course! But evil?

Still, she couldn't shake the thought. The silence in the room spoke volumes for the others too. It seemed they too couldn't deny that maybe there was much more to Heckyl than he let on.

Just then, Koda raced back into the cafe – worry etched all over his face.

"Chase and Kendall dad take her to hospital," he said. "She not wake up."

"Is she attacking anyone?" Riley asked. Koda shook his head.

"No. Just... sleeping," he said. "Chase say we look for pillow like Shelby?"

"Hopefully we find it before we have another Ranger freak out on our hands," Riley agreed and he looked to Koda, "Wherever she was found, destroy the place."

"Break Kendall's office?"

"Heckyl used a pillow on Shelby," Riley nodded. "Odds are, he did the same to Ms. Morgan, but we can't be sure, especially if Kendall's not suffering from the same symptoms. Destroy everything. Hopefully then she'll wake up."


	9. Shelby's Dream

_Author's Note: I feel like this is long overdue._

 _I want to say a huge thank you to my reviewers, particularly in this time where my life is getting pretty busy. Finding the time to sit down and write is few and far between but it's you guys that keep me going, particularly Darien Fawkes, JustJustine014 and Sir Perfluous. Your support means a lot to me!_

 _As a thank you, I'll be handing out a deleted scene. This one is from Dino Charge and features the adorable Cammy. I hope you enjoy!_

 _For my readers, thanks for reading and I hope you continue to enjoy._

* * *

Mr. Fisher was in the hospital, head in his hands, trying to hold back his tears. His parents had warned him when his wife was pregnant with Jeremy that kids were a lot of trouble. It hadn't been to discourage him, but to warn him that life with a little one was going to be full of tantrums and crying – and they hadn't been talking about their grandson. As a parent, Mr. Fisher made sure to remind himself in the hard times that this was just a part of the package, and as his son aged, he would miss even the toughest of times.

But this: one daughter narrowly escaping death in a freak alien attack and another completely unconscious for absolutely no reason at all. This was unprecedented. Nothing, ever, could have prepared him for this.

"Any word?" Mrs. Fisher asked, coming over with two coffees. Between both their girls, neither of the Fisher parents had gotten a wink of sleep. Coffee wasn't likely to erase the fatigue they felt, but at least it was something to do and something to keep them going a little longer.

"They say her system's clear," Mr. Fisher said. "No drugs, no alcohol. Not even any signs of trauma. They don't know why she won't wake up, or why she's passed out in the first place."

"Could she be sick?"

"They're running tests right now. Bella..."

"We just got her back," Mrs. Fisher said, sitting next to her husband and taking his hand. "We were patient for four years, we waited eight for her to come back. There's no way she'll be taken away from us. Not by this. Not now."

"What if it wasn't meant to be?"

"You hush now," Mrs. Fisher scolded, pulling her hand away from her husband's and glaring at him. "That's our daughter."

"I know..." Mr. Fisher looked down at his hands. He knew it was just the panic talking. He knew his wife understood as well. Still, he needed to get it off his chest. "Bella, I know that. I'm not giving up. I just... This is all so... ill-fated."

"Children aren't easy."

"Jeremy wasn't easy," Mr. Fisher said. "Cammy's a handful. Kendall..."

"Needs us," Mrs. Fisher reminded him. "And I won't hear anything else. You sit with Cammy for now; I'll wait for news on Kendall."

Mr. Fisher nodded his head. Maybe that was what he needed. Cammy, at least, was doing better. She was awake, she seemed hopeful. A couple of hours with his youngest would give him back his fighting spirit.

-Dino-Charge-

While Koda was going through Kendall's office, destroying everything in sight, Shelby stayed in the cafe, pondering over the theory she had concerning Heckyl. She didn't know him very well. Really, all she could say about him was that there was something odd about him, and he was close friends with Kendall. However, strange things were happening in Amber Beach once again and she couldn't help but listen to her gut. Was it possible Heckyl was behind it all? Could he really be working for Snide?

While Shelby pondered this, Tyler sat with her, eyeing the pillow that seemed to be used to knock her out. He wondered the same thing. Shelby said it was Heckyl who had given her the pillow, and then just like magic when it was destroyed the strange spell that caused her to attack the Rangers disappeared. There has to be more to it.

As Tyler examined the pillow, it slipped from his hands and hit the floor. As he bent over to pick it up, he saw Shelby's backpack under the table. Papers were spilling out from it and one had a header for Amber Beach University. Curious, Tyler pulled it out and showed it to Shelby.

"You're thinking of going back to school?"

"It's my parents' idea," she told him, rolling her eyes. "They want me to study business."

"That's interesting."

"It's really not," Shelby took the papers from Tyler. "Can we focus?"

"To be honest, I'm kind of stuck," Tyler said, putting the pillow down on the table. "It's not like we can do anything until ether Ms. Morgan wakes up, or we find Heckyl."

"You don't know where he lives?"

"Sledge's ship?" Tyler shrugged his shoulders. "So, business, huh? I always thought you were a Dino-it-all."

"I am," Shelby said, smiling at the nickname Tyler had for her. She had always been very open about her passion for dinosaurs and when that came across in their first meeting, he used the name to tease her. Since then, it had become something of a term of affection between them. She had to admit liking it. "But dad thinks it's a waste of time. I've got to run the family's ice-cream shop."

"Ice-cream?"

"I'd much rather be out digging for bones," Shelby muttered. "Believe me, running an ice-cream shop is not the fantasy you'd think it is."

"Have you told him that?"

"Try a million times," Shelby sighed. "He won't listen. He doesn't think dinosaurs are going to get me anywhere. The business is established and he says as long as I've got a good education, I'll be set for life. Ice-cream will always be in demand in Amber Beach."

"But that won't make you happy? What if you compromised?"

"You don't think I've tried that? The deal was if I got to travel with you on their dime, I would go to school when I came home. So... here we are."

"Does it need to be school?" Tyler asked. "I learned so much more from my experiences than I ever did in school. It means more to me. What if you got a job in the business world instead."

"I don't want to do business. I don't want to be a business woman. I want to dig up dinosaurs. I want to make discoveries and learn more about life before we were around."

"You can do both," Tyler said and then pointed to the museum. "You already have a job here. Ask Ms. Morgan if she can show you some of the more business side of things. It'll keep your dad happy since you're getting first-hand experience, and maybe some of that business stuff with include..."

"Going on digs?" Shelby asked with excitement before sighing. "But Ms. Morgan will never go for it. And I don't want to end up working for the family business."

"Keep your dad happy until you can figure something else out," Tyler suggested. "After all, working for Ms. Morgan has to be better than going to school. At least the business side of things here has something to do with paleontology and history, right?"

"You really think Ms. Morgan will go for it, though? You've seen her, she never lets me go on digs. How and I going to convince her to..."

"Do the hard work?" Tyler interrupted with a little chuckle. "Shelby, in case you haven't noticed, that's what Ms. Morgan's been trying to get you to do this whole time. Do the boring stuff, show her you can handle that, and I'll bet you anything she'll make it worthwhile."

Shelby gave a little nod. It was an interesting off. One that was sure to shut her father up at least for another year. And maybe, when he saw how much she loved working in the museum and working with fossils and doing the research, he would give up on his hopes of her following in his footsteps. Even better, Kendall could vouch for her, saying she had the natural ability to do well in the field of paleontology. Kendall could reassure her father that she would be okay without the family business to lean on.

Looking to the papers, Shelby got a thought. She turned her attention to Tyler.

"Ms. Morgan wanted this all along, you think?"

"Well, you're always asking to do the fun stuff," Tyler shrugged his shoulders. "You never offer to help her with the research and all that other _boring_ stuff. I'm sure she doesn't just pick a place and dig there the next day."

"Well, no..."

"And, those fossils don't just tell you what dinosaur lived where, right? I mean, aren't they just like puzzle pieces? Every new fossil is new information about an earlier time. New fossils answer some questions and raise up many more?"

Shelby nodded her head. She knew that, but she had never considered really how much work it probably was. She remembered when Kendall had once given her fossilized triceratops dung. Shelby had seen that fossil lying around in the museum since she started working the year before, and yet it had never once been on display, and it took Kendall that whole year before she offered it to Shelby. In that time, the fossil had been examined carefully. A whole year, wasted on poop which Shelby had carelessly dropped on the floor. A year's worth of analysis and testing and ideas shattered in a hundred pieces because Shelby didn't think poop was interesting.

"I only wanted to do the cool stuff, huh?"

"I see this as a win-win," Tyler smirked. "You do the boring stuff to make your dad happy, Ms. Morgan sees you're working hard and you get to do the stuff you like. That's got to be better than school and waitressing, right?"

"Let's go find Heckyl then," Shelby said, getting out of her seat. Tyler looked to her.

"Heckyl?"

"We've got to get to the bottom of this, especially if the others can't find whatever knocked Ms. Morgan out. In case you weren't following, I kind of need her right now."

"Also, we need to save the world," Tyler said, chuckling at Shelby's priorities. He knew she meant well. She always did. But she was a little too focused sometimes on her own needs. "We can't do that with one Ranger taking a long nap."

"That too."


	10. A Bad Mistake

It seemed just as quickly as she had been knocked out, Kendall came to again. None of the doctors could explain it, especially when there seemed to be no ill effect from being unconscious for so long. Mrs. Fisher wouldn't question it, though. As soon as she heard her daughter was up again, she rushed to be by her side.

Chase, who had stayed at the hospital wandering the halls and hoping for good news, took out his Dino Com. Riley, had called earlier to let him know they were going to try and find a pillow or anything that could have been used to put Kendall under the spell. Considering it had worn off, Chase was sure the plan had worked.

"She's up now. Whatever you guys did, it worked."

"There was a pillow just like the one in the cafe," Riley said. "Those must be what's causing everyone to fall asleep."

"I'll fill Kendall in. You guys don't mind..."

"We'll be on the lookout for anything weird happening in the city. If something's out there, we'll take care of it," Riley promised. Chase took in a reassuring breathe. With the other Rangers handling the danger, he could focus on Kendall. More importantly, Kendall could take care of herself and stay close with Cammy. Right now, there was too much going on.

He hung up, trusting that his teammates could handle whatever threat was in the city for now. He made his way down to Kendall's room and was happy to see her parents were already there with her. They were doing their best to fill her in on what had happened but Chase could tell she was waiting for the real explanation: the truth – the one she couldn't get from her parents because it would be too dangerous if they knew.

"Chase," she whispered and her parents glanced over their shoulders. Mrs. Fisher mentioned something about seeing Cammy and just like that they left. Almost as soon as they were gone, the smile Kendall had forced for their sake disappeared and her eyes filled with tears. Chase rushed to her side, taking her hand.

"Kendall, what's..."

"It was Snide," Kendall said, clenching her fists so tight around Chase's hand he thought she was going to break his bones. "All that time, it was Snide."

"The one who took you?"

"Heckyl," Kendall whispered. "Snide was in the base when Cammy was attacked. She mentioned it was Heckyl who did it. I confronted him and... I remember now. Chase..."

"Heckyl is working for Snide? You're sure?"

"Heckyl _is_ Snide!"

"What?" Chase frowned deeply. He had always known there was something suspicious about Kendall's friend, even to the point of confronting her about it. However, Kendall trusted him and that had been enough for him to let go. He still had his doubts, but if Kendall could trust him there had to be something good about him.

Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined Heckyl and Snide were one in the same. The dark, dangerous, reckless monster that had kidnapped her, manipulated her thoughts and her memories and almost killed Cammy was one in the same with the first person Kendall had learned to trust outside of the Rangers.

Suddenly, it made sense how Snide had found the base, and it made sense how he seemed to know so much about them. He had gotten close to Kendall using Heckyl. Kendall: who knew all about the Rangers and about so much more. Kendall: who had access to their weapons, their access codes, their battle modes.

As it dawned on him, he could see the thought had already hit Kendall. She had been used, lied to, and if this had continued, it was no doubt she would have been tossed aside and deemed worthless. She meant nothing to Heckyl and yet she had cared deeply for him. Chase sat next to the purple Ranger and put his arm around her. He couldn't begin to understand how she was feeling. Her fears of being disposable and worthless to someone she care for had been confirmed. Even worse, by trusting him, by letting him get close to her, she had put the people who actually did care for her in harm's way. Cammy, the other Rangers, even her parents. None of them were safe. Heckyl and Snide knew way too much.

"Chase, are you there?" he heard Tyler call over the Dino Coms. "We've found the monster responsible for the spells. The others are on their way but Shelby's lost her energem. I need a hand!"

Chase picked up his Dino Com then looked to Kendall. She reached to her neck and he saw her pull out not just her energem, but Shelby's as well.

"Jon gave them back to me," she explained to Chase. "He said he found them in a coat. I recognized it as Heckyl's"

Chase took the pink energem and nodded his head. "You're not coming, are you?"

"I..."

"No one expects you to," Chase assured her. "Just, take it easy, alright? We'll let you know if things go south."

Kendall nodded her head and lay back in her bed. Chase kissed her cheek before racing off. Once he was gone, she screwed her eyes shut, clenched her fists tightly and wondered how she could have been so blind. In hindsight, all the signs were there. Her memory lapses occurred around the same time she had been out with Heckyl, he seemed fixated on her and her friends had all shared with her their reluctance towards him.

What hurt more, though, was wondering why he had chosen her. Of course, she knew the most about the energems, but that couldn't explain why he had manipulated her so much. Why hadn't he just taken the information he needed from her and ended it? Why did he need to play with her the way he had?

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door before it opened. Heckyl walked in with flowers in his hands. However, he dropped them as soon as he closed the door and his hand glowed blue. Kendall recognized the light as well as the hold it had on her. He had used it many times to manipulate her – hurt her. Before he could use it this time, he noticed her eyes were open. He had been expecting her to still be asleep, unaware the Rangers had found his pillow and destroyed it. He smirked as their eyes met.

"Kendall..."

She wrapped her hand tightly around her energem and sat up. Before she could do anything else, Heckyl held out his hand and her body was consumed by the blue light. She couldn't move, she couldn't speak, she could only watch as he approached her.

"I had fun," he said, looking down to where her hand was covering her energem, smirking a little at how she hadn't made it easy for him to take it back. Her muscles were frozen and unless he released her, he couldn't pry the energem from her hand – not without breaking her fingers. The thought crossed his mind but he couldn't bring himself to do it, especially when he looked in her eyes again and saw pain.

The heart he claimed not to have suddenly felt very heavy in his chest. For the first time in his long life he was beginning to feel guilt. He gulped, taking a step back as he shook his head.

He had wanted this. He wanted to hurt her. He wanted to make her and the other Rangers miserable. It was supposed to be fun and interesting. Playing with his opponents, making them suffer would make acquiring the energems and becoming the most powerful being in the whole universe so much more rewarding.

Yet, it filled him with this sense of pain and regret. He eyed her hand that covered the energem and felt it wasn't worth the pain he had caused her. With a sigh he approached her just to kiss her cheek before he turned to leave. Kendall could only watch him go until he was gone and his hold on her vanished. She let go of her energem and rushed out into the hallway.

"Heckyl!" she called when she saw he was still there, still trying to make his way out. He turned around and their eyes met once more. Her hand went behind her back as she started to summon her morpher but Heckyl shook his head.

"Rest up tonight," he told her and then suddenly he was gone. Kendall knew she would see him again. He was after the energems so surely he would make another play.

She clenched her fists tightly once again. She was hurt, but she wanted to channel that. Heckyl was her mistake.

She always corrected her mistakes.


End file.
